


gedetir

by MageOfCole



Series: Cole Does Whumptober 2020 [16]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha-17 Needs A Hug, Bad Parent Jango Fett, Begging, Brainwashing, Brothers, Clone Children, Clone Trooper Reconditioning (Star Wars), Clone Troopers Deserve Better, Emotional Whump, Forced to beg, Gen, Headcanon, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kamino is terrible!!, Pre-Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Protective Alpha-17, Reconditioning, Whumptober 2020, clone-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:28:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27184498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MageOfCole/pseuds/MageOfCole
Summary: (plead)The Kaminiise had waited until Alpha was busy with his own training and thus not able to fight them on it, and then stole little Kote from his brothers. Alpha-17 couldn't save him from this, but maybe the Prime could, and he's prepared to beg.(No.16 - A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day)
Relationships: Alpha-17 & CC-2224 | Cody, Alpha-17 & CC-5052 | Bly & CC-2224 | Cody & CC-1010 | Fox & CC-6454 | Ponds & CC-3636 | Wolffe, Alpha-17 & Jango Fett, CC-2224 | Cody & Jango Fett
Series: Cole Does Whumptober 2020 [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949908
Comments: 28
Kudos: 244





	gedetir

Alpha-17 storms through the halls of Kamino like a thunderstorm. He ignores the limp dragging his leg down, and pointedly doesn’t give the blood on his face any thought.

He had been training with the Nulls when a sobbing Bly had burst into the training room. At the time, his cadet squad was supposed to be in their pods, preparing for survival training in the morning, so to see the most soft-spoken and gentle-hearted of his Littles in hysterics had awoken something in Alpha that had him reacting on instinct. He had torn himself out of Ordo’s hold, and Bly had thrown himself into Alpha’s arms, uncaring of their audience. Still, despite the eyes of the Nulls and other A-Classers drilling into his back, Alpha had held the screaming boy close.

Bly had clung to him, desperate and wailing at the top of his lungs. In spite of his attempts to calm the Little, his _vod’ika_ hadn’t stopped crying, but he had managed to communicate what had happened between his gasping, rattling breaths and body-shaking sobs. Kote had attacked a trainer to protect Fox, and the Kaminoans had taken him away. Alpha had paled, then flushed furiously, and entrusted Bly to Fordo to get back to his pod and brothers, trusting him to protect his kids while Alpha was busy. None of the other clones had tried to stop him as he swept out of the training rooms.

The _Kaminiise_ had taken one of Alpha’s boys. They had waited until Alpha was busy with his own training and thus not able to fight them on it, and then stole little Kote from his brothers. He had _known_ that his _vod’ika_ was on his last warning, and Alpha had been working to keep the scientists away from him, slyly using Kote’s skills as a reason to leave him in Alpha’s care, but he had also known that Kote was too loyal to his brothers to stay quiet. Too protective to keep his head down when faced with injustice.

 _Fuck_ \- he had _known_ the Longnecks were looking for any excuse to recondition his _vod’ika_ , but he had _still_ let his guard down. He had let himself be pulled away from his boys, and the _Kaminiise_ had taken the opening he had given them, they had taken Kote the moment his guard was down. They had taken one of his cadets for reconditioning, like they had so often threatened to do before; to Wolffe who was too likely to bite, to Fox who could eel out anyone’s darkest secrets, to Bly who softened his blows too often, and to Ponds who was the most likely to let his guard down.

And especially for Kote, who was the one who would fight back, who would stand up for himself and others because he wanted _more_ . He wanted _better_ , for himself and his brothers, and that was a threat.

Alpha had no sway over the _Kaminiise_ , not without another trainer backing him up. He couldn’t stop them, but the _Prime_ could. It just meant that Alpha would need to swallow his pride and ask for help.

Prime liked Kote, as much as he could like any of his clones. He liked Kote like one would like an amusing pet. He doted on the cadet when he could, gave him special attention and treats and lessons as he would a real child. He taught Kote Mando’a, gave him pointers and advice, but at the end of the day, he was still less-than-sentient in the Prime’s eyes. He was a favoured pet, but still just an animal. But still, there were moments when Alpha would see a light in Prime’s eyes when he’d pin Kote in training, pride shining through his otherwise impassive mask, and it would make Alpha hold his breath and _hope_ that Fett was looking at him and seeing him for what he was; a living, breathing child, just like Boba.

Jango Fett is Kote’s only hope.

The door to the Prime’s apartment slides open, and Alpha finds himself staring at a face much like his own but older than any of his _vod’e_ would likely become. Fett stares back at him, looking annoyed, his brow rising towards his hairline. He’s out of his armour, dressed down to simple pants and tunic, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the smell of _gal_ on his breath. “What?”

Alpha straightens, bites off his own hatred of the Original, and salutes, “A-17, sir!”

“Yeah. I know.” Fett grunts, crossing his arms over his chest as he leans against the door frame, “What do you _want_ , 17?” He demands shortly.

“Sir, it’s Kote-” He’s cut off by a string of harsh curses.

Cold fury sparks in the Prime’s dark eyes, and his posture shifts from annoyed to _dangerous_. Alpha doesn’t stand down, doesn’t avert his eyes. He refuses to let himself be cowed, not even by Fett’s thunderous glare. “I know.” The Prime growls, and Alpha stiffens.

His heart races, rage swelling in his throat and making it hard to breath. He can feel his heartbeat in his ears, he can feel the shaking of his clenched fists at his sides. His vision has narrowed in on Fett as the man turns to reenter his rooms. Desperate and thinking of Kote, with his fierce eyes and fire-filled heart too big for his small body, Alpha reaches forward to clutch at Fett’s arm. He’s Kote’s only hope - the only thing that could save his _vod’ika_ from a fate worse than death.

“Please.” He chokes out, and Fett looks at him over his shoulder expression cold. Alpha _needs_ him to listen, “ _Please_ \- if we ever meant _anything_ to you - don’t let the _Kaminiise_ take him.” The clone begs, “Kote doesn’t deserve this - he’s a good soldier; smart, skilled, and - and you said _yourself_ that a little fire wouldn’t lead us wrong. He’ll do better - I’ll do better - just - please don’t let them take him away.” Physically, Alpha may be nearly fully grown, but he feels just as small as his cadet squad in that moment - a squad of tiny boys that were given to him to guide and protect, and he’d done so; they were smart and strong and the best of their age group, despite their individual quirks. “Don’t let him be taken away from his brothers - _gedet’ye ‘alor_.”

For a moment, there’s something hesitant and broken in Fett’s dark gaze, and his coldness falters. Alpha hopes desperately that his pleas had managed to reach the part of his blackened heart that loved Boba. The part of Fett that could hold a cloned toddler with such care, or could look at an undersized cadet with fire in his eyes and name him _‘glory’_ , but then it’s gone.

Fett’s expression goes blank, and his eyes harden, “You say he’d do better?” The Prime says, tone frigid. “He lost that chance.” With that, Fett jerks his arm out of Alpha’s numb fingers. “ _You_ lost your chance.” He ignores the flinch that rocks the younger man’s frame and the stricken look in his eyes, and walks back into his apartment.

Having opened his heart and poured it’s contents out for the man to see, Alpha reels, off balance and feeling his composure shatter. He should have known it wouldn’t work. Maybe a part of him had, but Alpha had dared to let himself hope for even a moment. He had reached out, he had _begged_ , and for a moment, it had _worked_.

And maybe _that_ was why it had hurt so much to be denied.

(Later, as Alpha sits next to a medical cot and stares at the child on it, a hungover Fett comes to him. He stands in the door, a silent observer, as the clone holds CC-2224’s limp hand and bows his head over the unconscious body.

Nothing about the little boy he had trained had changed, but at the same time _everything_ had. Kote was gone, but the body and mind remained, blank and ready to be molded once more. He was CC-2224 again, and it was an extra insult that the Longnecks hadn’t even changed his serial number.

It’s an effective threat.

There are tears on his face when he turns his accusing stare on the Prime where he stands in the doorway, Alpha does nothing to hide them as he glares at the man he had been cloned from. Let him see, let him watch - and let him bare the weight of what he was allowing to happen to children that could have been his. Alpha hates him - he hates them all - and he can’t do anything about it but try harder to protect his _vod’ike_ from the worst of their treatments.

The Prime stares back, expression carefully controlled, but his eyes are bloodshot. “CC-2224 will be assigned to your squad once more.” Fett says blankly, and Alpha doesn’t know if this is a relief, or if it makes him hate the man more. He wants to bare his teeth and snarl a challenge, but to do that would mean losing the rest of his kids, so Alpha stays quiet. The Prime watches him, dark eyes a frozen lake during a winter storm, “Don’t fail again.”

Alpha grits his teeth and forces himself to hold his tongue, squeezing CC-2224’s limp hand in his own as if the move could protect him or bring back what had been stolen from him.

“Yes sir.”

He won’t let himself fail his _vod’ike_ again.

There won’t be another Kote.)


End file.
